


wrong in the dark

by lightwoody



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), Shadowhunters (TV) RPF, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Loves Magnus Bane, Angst, BAMF Alec Lightwood, Demons, Edom (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Edom Angst (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Fights, Kidnapping, Love, M/M, Magnus Bane Loves Alec Lightwood, Post-Episode: s03e10 Erchomai, Protective Alec Lightwood, Rescue Missions, Sacrifice, Torture, Violence, alec is very protective of his bf and he will go to some seriously stupid lengths for him, its cute tho but also its dramatic, sooo this is just edom angst and ur all gonna hate me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 16:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17870729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightwoody/pseuds/lightwoody
Summary: alec lightwood and co. set out to save magnus from edom. asmodeus is holding magnus hostage, the gang knows nothing about the prince of hell or his realm, and alec secretly doesn't have a plan. what could go wrong?





	wrong in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO !!!!! i have not written in a very long time and i hope u all enjoy this long ass 3b edom angst (u wont). i strongly recommend listening to the acoustic version of war of hearts by ruelle while listening to this, as it's based on the song ;)

**_Come to me in the night hours, I will wait for you_.**

Everything was red. The dirt under Alec’s boots, the mountains and caves in the distance, the sky, which was so dark that Alec could hardly see, and the city of blood, rising above it all; the center of Edom. The hair on the back of Alec’s neck prickled as he stared at the blood red towers, no doubt where Magnus was being held. 

Alec walked determinedly, flanked by Jace, Isabelle, Clary, Simon, and Maia, his fingers aching as they gripped the arrow, his bow string taut. He was ready to kill. He was ready to get _revenge_.

**_I can’t sleep and thoughts devour, thoughts of you consume._ **

“What do you need from us, Alec?” Izzy asked from behind him, and he heard her whip snap through the air. 

_What did he need?_ Alec thought. He needed Magnus at his side, where he belonged. Where he was safe. Not within the confines of his father’s hatred, everything that Magnus had despised for centuries, everything that he tried so hard to distance himself from. Not this. _Never_ this.

**_I can’t help but love you, even though I try not to_.**

“Stay alert,” Alec commanded in a low voice. “We head for the city. That’s where he is. I know it.” 

“What if Asmodeus left him in one of the caves along the mountains?” Jace asked. “It could be a trap.”

“He doesn’t want _us_ , Jace,” Alec snapped,  keeping low to the ground. He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. “Magnus is Asmodeus’ most powerful son. He would make sure to keep him in the most guarded place in Edom. He wants Magnus for something, I just don’t know what.”

At that the group became silent once again. 

**_I can’t help but want you, I know that I would die without you._ **

Alec’s feet were aching and he could feel the red dust of Edom settling in his lungs, making his chest rattle every time he took a breath. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead and stung his eyes. The heat was almost unbearable. Normally, Alec would have been practical and strategic, suggesting they make stops every few hours to restore their energy, but this was different. Magnus’ life was on the line, and any time Alec thought about what could happen if they were too late to save him, he felt like he would be physically ill.

Alec remembered Magnus’ goodbye, and how his words squeezed the breath from his heart like a snake, pulling tighter and tighter. He had sacrificed himself to his father to save his friends and Alec felt dizzy with guilt when he had remembered how Asmodeus had threatened them all. He had opened up a portal unlike anything Alec had ever seen before, his voice echoing around them, informing them that time was almost up. Alec had grabbed Magnus, begging him to stay, that they could find another way, that Asmodeus could be tricked, but Magnus had just smiled sadly and promised to return to him, asking, “ _how could I not? Look what I have waiting for me.”_ Those words had shattered every ounce of happiness Alec had possessed, and he had sworn to the Angel that he would save Magnus, no matter the consequences.

**_Stay with me, a little longer, I will wait for you._ **

Rustles and whispers came from the shadowy depths of darkness that surrounded them, and Alec could feel the waves of tension rolling off of his friends, and he understood it. The hair on the back of his neck rose and his skin prickled with goosebumps. Every aspect of Edom was unsettling and unnatural. Everything was hard to look at, as if it should not exist at all, and the very fact that it did broke every law of the universe.

They had already slain a multitude of demons, though it was pointless, since this was their realm. Killing them only made them spawn somewhere else in the barren landscapes of Edom. Alec could feel the lurking eyes of the creatures all around them, those who dared not to show themselves. Alec wished they would.

**_Shadows creep, and want grows stronger, deeper than the truth_.**

All of the sudden, after what seemed like centuries of silence, the sounds of war erupted from the blood red city. Shouts and explosions and inhuman noises. The effects of magic and fighting could be heard from miles away. Alec’s heart fell into his stomach and the ice cold of battle chilled his veins.

“Go, go, go!” Alec yelled to his team, taking off at a sprint. “Maia, Simon, get to the city!” 

Maia took off, leaping into the air, the transformation ripping through her violently. As soon as her paws struck the ground, she was hundreds of feet ahead of them, and Simon followed, a blurring figure of movement and determination. 

Alec felt his heart slamming against his rib cage as his feet pounded against the ground beneath him. The force of the vibrations from the city rang in his ears and his only conscious thought was that he had to get to Magnus. He couldn’t be too late. He _wouldn’t_.

**_I cant help but love you, even though I try not to._ **

As he ran, memories of Magnus flashed through Alec’s mind, torturing him mercilessly. 

He remembered the first time he had ever even laid eyes on Magnus. Alec had instantly felt this...this _force_ ; a force like an extra strength magnet, drawing him to Magnus. He was the most striking man Alec had ever seen, and he was the only man that had ever really _seen_ Alec. After years of being out-shadowed and tossed aside for Jace, someone had finally looked at Alec and wanted _him_.

He remembered their first date and how they had played pool in the Hunter’s Moon. How Magnus had hustled him and it was the hottest thing Alec had ever witnessed in his entire life. The sly glint in Magnus’ eyes had become Alec’s downfall. And then, of course, Magnus’ acceptance and understanding of Alec’s inexperience. Their first real, slow, sweet kiss. 

He remembered the morning after, and how the sun filtered through the windows, washing Magnus’ skin in a beautiful glow. How they spoke of their fears softly to each other in the secret hours of dawn. It was then Alec knew he was truly gone. He knew it in the way his heart leapt into his throat every time Magnus walked into the room. He knew it in the way fireworks exploded behind his eyelids when he and Magnus kissed. He knew it in the way Magnus looked at him, as if Alec was a sudden ray of sunshine in a lifetime of darkness. Every aspect of Magnus Bane had caught his attention and tugged on his heartstrings. This was when Alec knew he had finally found his soulmate.

**_I can’t help but want you, I know that I would die without you._ **

The city had eventually risen up before them, surrounded by spiked, black gates that were twenty feet tall, and glowing with uncanny dark red magic. Alec guessed that they would kill anyone upon touch. He could see Simon and Maia on the other side, having jumped the twenty feet over the gate. They were deep in battle with demons too numerous to count. Maia and Simon guiltlessly ripped through each one with just their teeth, spitting black ichor to the ground with each bite.

Alec and the others slowed to a stop, realizing the gates were lined with demons, no doubt summoned upon Maia and Simon’s intrusion. Each demon was different in its own disgusting, misshapen, vile way. Some had eyes where their mouths should have been, and some had no eyes at all. Their limbs stuck out of random places on their bodies, if they could even be called that. The air reeked with the stench of garbage and sewage combined. Their snarls and growls were like nails on a chalkboard, and the hairs on Alec’s arms prickled.

The four of them adorned their weapons like expensive jewelry. Their blades and bows were the only thing keeping them from being slaughtered. Alec kept a tight grip on his bow, but didn’t yet dare to aim. That would mean war.

“Alec, Izzy, Jace!” Clary screamed. “Hold them back! I can open the gate!” 

Alec was skeptical, but realized that Clary’s angelic blood probably had the power to shatter those gates into millions of pieces. He was going to trust that this would work. It was all they had.

“You heard her! Cover her!” Alec commanded, taking aim with his bow and firing. 

All hell broke loose.

**_I cant help but be wrong in the dark, cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts._ **

The wail of the dozens of demons guarding the gate was earsplitting. Alec noticed the others cringing against the noise, but the shock only lasted for a second before they powered on.

The Shadowhunters charged. 

Alec shot off arrow after arrow as he ran, not even pausing to think. A demon with the limbs of a human but the tail of a lizard lunged for him, and using the momentum from his speed, Alec leaned back, sliding under the demon, just barely avoiding its grip. He then spun back around on his knees and let an arrow fly, watching it land with a sickening thump into the head of the beast. The demon turned to ash and Alec jumped to his feet, diving further into battle.

Izzy and Jace were epic blurs around him, blades and whips destroying the creatures one bye one. He could see Clary dodging them as she sprinted towards the gates, whipping her sword out only when she had to. There were two guard demons, standing at the center of the gates, and Alec’s heart thundered with hope in his chest when he saw Clary reach the gates, lunging and driving her signature two blades into their stomachs. They screeched with indignation before they were banished to a different part of Edom.

Alec, Jace and Izzy advanced towards the gates, spinning around so their backs were towards Clary, protecting her while she tried to inscribe a rune on the gates that was powerful enough to overcome its demonic protections.

Alec glanced behind him to see how close she was to success when he noticed just how many demons had surrounded Simon and Maia. Too many. They circled the two Downworlders, hissing and spitting, ready to leap at any second. Maia arched her back, growling, as Simon wiped ichor from his chin, ready for another round.

“Clary, we gotta go!” Alec yelled, turning back around to aim an arrow at the beasts before them. They inched forward slowly, wary after witnessing the destruction of their brethren.

At that moment, Clary let out a cry of determination and finished drawing her rune with a harsh, downward slash.

They all turned to watch as the gates began to vibrate. They shook, and Alec could physically feel Clary’s rune destroying the demonic magic surrounding the gates resonating deep inside his bones. Finally, the gate just shattered. From all around the perimeter of the city, millions of shards of metal landed on the ground at once, and the noise was absolutely deafening. If he hadn’t already known, Asmodeus was definitely aware of their presence in his kingdom now.

Alec’s moment of joy that Clary’s rune worked was crushed by a noise rising from all around the Shadowhunters. Alec turned slowly, realizing just how many demons had surrounded them. 

“WE CAN’T FIGHT THEM ALL!” Alec yelled, backing away, heart sinking as the monsters began to follow. “GET TO THE HEART OF THE CITY! GO, GO, GO!”

They all turned and began to sprint, Maia and Simon joining them. Squeals and howls sounded from behind them, and the noise of thousands of legs pounding on the ground from behind them only became louder and louder.

“WEAVE!” Alec commanded, jeering to the left between two towers, and then to the right into an alley. He backed up into the wall of one of the buildings, and motioned for his team to do the same. 

Clary, Izzy, Jace, Maia, and Simon all plastered themselves against the wall with Alec, closing their eyes and praying to the angel that this worked. 

The demons, not being too intelligent, could be heard stopping, the sounds of their movement becoming silent. They grunted to each other a few times, and took off once again, and after a few seconds their footsteps faded into nothing.

The six of them remained silent for minutes following, not daring to make a sound for fear of attracting them again. They remained completely still, except for the rapid rising and falling of their chests.

Alec finally spoke, his entire body vibrating with adrenaline. “We have to go,” he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. “We have to get to Magnus.”

They all nodded in understanding. Maia glanced at Simon, and Clary at Jace, while Izzy stared at Alec with glassy eyes. They all sympathized with what Alec was feeling, and knew that they would do the same for the ones they loved.

Alec pushed himself off the wall and remained in a crouch, motioning for the others to fall in line behind him. 

Their footsteps were silent as they made their way towards Asmodeus’ kingdom, and they had to move slowly as to not attract any attention to themselves, which gave Alec’s mind time to wander. He thought about Asmodeus, and how he and Magnus were nothing alike. He thought about how he could see a shadow of what Magnus could have become inside the dark pools of nothingness of Asmodeus’ eyes. Magnus had chosen light and love over darkness and terror, and Alec could not have been more grateful. He could not imagine his life without Magnus, what it would have been like to marry Lydia, an emotionless, loveless contract. Magnus saved Alec, so many times, and that is why Alec knew what he had to do.

Asmodeus’ kingdom was not hard to spot, glowing red with fury and the illusion of blood seeping from the stone. Alec became dizzy as he thought of the torture Magnus could be going enduring. He thought of the things Asmodeus was capable of, and it made Alec physically ill, stumbling to the side of a nearby building to be sick. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and a soothing voice came from behind him, “Alec, we’ll find him. We’ll get him out alive, you have to trust us,” Izzy whispered as she rubbed his back.

Alec stood up straight, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth and ridding his mind of the intrusive thoughts. He had to be a soldier if he was going to save Magnus. “I do trust you,” he said, “which is why I have to do this myself.”

Immediate protests came from his friends. 

“Alec, what the hell do you mean?” Jace gaped.

“You’re not going in there alone, we can _help_ you!” Clary urged, looking angry.

“Don’t be a moron, Alec, you can’t do this without us,” Maia scoffed, but Alec could see the worry in the way she stood and he could hear it in the way she spoke.

“Precisely,” Alec said, looking at his companions. “I need you all to scour the castle, clear it of traps and armies. I need to face Asmodeus by myself, make him think I’m alone and vulnerable, which will give me time to formulate a plan. All of these Princes of Hell have some...some god-complex. They want to prove that they’re indestructible. If he sees four Shadowhunters, a vampire and a werewolf, he’ll attack immediately. If it’s just me, he’ll have nothing to prove. It’s the only way.”

His friends looked at him with sadness in their eyes, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, realizing how much he was loved.

**_I can’t help but want oceans to part, cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts._ **

“Whatever you say, Alec, is what we’ll do,” Simon said, startling all of them. “You’re a born leader. We trust you.”

Alec gave Simon a small smile and they all nodded. 

“On my count, we storm the castle,” Alec commanded, readying his bow. “Kill anything that gets in your way, and whatever you do, don’t stop running.”

The only noise that could be heard was the soft ‘whoosh’ that came from swords being unsheathed, and the quiet rattle of Izzy’s whip.

“One.”

Alec wondered if they would all make it out alive, and he hoped that if anyone had to die, it would be him. This was his mission, his soulmate, that they were rescuing. He hadn’t even asked the rest of them to come. They selflessly volunteered themselves to fight for Magnus, and for that, Alec would be forever grateful.

“Two.”

Alec thought of the Angel as the cold ice of battle rushed through his veins. He named his blades after the Angels of legend, wrote on his own skin in the language of Heaven, and swore that he would live and die by the Angel Raziel. He had never even believed in any of it until that night at Lake Lyn, when he saw the blinding brightness radiating off Raziel, followed by the blinding terror that Valentine had succeeded, and Magnus was about to die. He wondered if the Angel was watching them now, if he would intervene. Or if he would leave them to die by Asmodeus’ hand, disappointed at their blind stupidity.

“Three.”

Lastly, he thought of Magnus. He thought about his smile, how devastatingly enchanting it was. It was the most beautiful smile Alec had ever seen. He remembered when he first fell in love with it, the very first time they had met. They had just slain that circle member together, and Magnus had made a joke. They turned to each other and Magnus immediately flashed his dazzling smile. “ _I’m Magnus_ ,” he introduced himself, and every single thought that was in Alec’s mind vanished. It was quite ironic, that Magnus Bane, a man with demon blood, was more angelic than any Shadowhunter that Alec had ever met. Everything about Magnus seemed to short-circuit Alec’s brain and his senses, leaving him a stuttering mess. It was so overwhelming that he could only muster a quick, “ _Alec_ ,” before running off, leaning against the wall in the hallway to catch his breath, and force the man’s smile out of his head. He was a warrior, a soldier. He was a _Lightwood_. He couldn’t afford to have those thoughts on a mission.

Alec thought of Magnus’ eyes, and how they were so dark they blended in with his pupils, how they shone so brilliantly in the light. He thought about his cat’s eyes, and that they were the brightest gold he had ever seen, as if they were a treasure that Alec had been searching for his whole life. Their depths held centuries of love and life and loss, and Alec had used to wonder his place within those depths. But that was before. He was in love with Magnus, and Magnus was in love with him. Alec knew his place in Magnus’ heart, and knew Magnus’ place within his own. They were two souls made from the same star, and they both knew that. 

He thought of their first kiss. Their first real, private, gentle kiss. They had just gone on their date. It was...disastrous to say the least. Alec smiled inwardly at the memory. He remembered how he was going to leave, that he thought he and Magnus were just too different to be together. He remembered walking away and then thinking to himself, “ _what the hell am I doing? I’ve never been this happy, and, Angel, I’ve never had so much fun in my life when I’m with him. Am I really going to throw this away_?” It was when Magnus gave him that small, shy smile that he threw caution towards the wind, and stooped down to press his lips against Magnus’. That was when he knew he was too far gone. There was no coming back from this kind of love. A love stronger, and fiercer than the Angel himself. Alec knew, in that very moment, that he would rather die than be separated from Magnus ever again.

**_I can’t help but love you, even though I try not to._ **

“ _NOW!_ ”

Everyone ran as fast as they could. 

Alec heard the ugly noises of the demons behind them, but he couldn’t focus on that. For once in his life, killing demons was not the mission at hand. Instead he focused on the path in front of him, barely noticing when a tentacle wrapped around Clary’s ankle, and yanked her feet out from under her, dragging her backwards. Jace yelled for her, but was knocked down by a demon with abnormally large, muscular limbs, and a long tail adorned with thorns.

Alec’s throat was closing, worry becoming almost blinding, but he didn’t turn back. That was their mission, to fight the demons, to distract and kill them, but it was not his. 

The remaining few of them reached the tower, where two guard demons stood, waiting for their arrival. These demons were smaller than the rest, as if Asmodeus couldn’t fathom the thought that they could make it within a hundred feet of his kingdom. It seems that he had underestimated Alec’s love for Magnus.

Alec, at the speed of light, whipped two arrows from his quiver, firing them at once, both landing directly in the middle of the demons’ chests. However, they didn’t dispatch, and started forward, baring fangs that dripped with deadly venom.

Maia bounded forward, baring her teeth right back, ripping the throat of one guard, and then the other. They landed on the ground with a thud and blood spurted grotesquely from their necks, their faces slacken and ugly. Maia looked up at Alec, her werewolf eyes glinting with mischief.

Alec almost laughed, but couldn’t. His nerves were buzzing with at least ten different emotions, and joy was not one of them. “Simon and Maia, you’re with me. Izzy, stay here and guard the doors. I trust you.”

Izzy’s eyes shone in the red light of Edom, and she choked back a sob. “I love you, Alec,” she whispered, barely audible against the sounds of hissing and screeching coming from all around them. But then, she smirked, her whip uncoiling from her arm. “Now go save your man,” she drawled. 

Alec gave her a brief nod, and then turned away, before his terror could overcome his determination. He faced the enormous wooden doors of Asmodeus’ castle. He slammed his whole body against them until they began to budge, creaking so loudly that it echoed off of the walls of the entryway. 

Once Alec pushed back the door enough that he could wedge himself inside, he looked at the space around him. It was...not what he was expecting. Aside from the near unbearable heat and overwhelming stench of ichor and blood, it was almost...cozy? 

He had pictured the inside of Asmodeus’ tower to be full of blood and bones long forgotten. He had expected flames engulfing the room, and the distant screams of the latest victim of the Prince of Hell. Instead, he was met with antique tapestry, soft candles lighting the hallways, and thousands of books laid about haphazardly. A double staircase that seemed as if it would never end led to what Alec assumed was Asmodeus’ throne room. Ominously, the stairs didn’t have rails, leaving anyone or anything that climbed them vulnerable of falling to their death.

“Huh,” Simon said, observing the room. “Not what I expected from the literal Satan.”

“He’s not Satan, Simon,” Alec and Maia retorted simultaneously.

Simon barely had time to look hurt before Alec began giving orders.

“Maia, you’ll stay here, clear the first floor,” Alec commanded. He turned to Simon. “We’ll go to the second floor and split up. You’ll clear everything but the throne room, which is where I’ll be. I assume Asmodeus knows we’re all here, but we can’t act on assumptions, so neither of you can make him aware that you’re inside the castle. Make as little noise as possible.” 

Simon gasped. “This is kinda like in Harry Potter when his evil aunt and uncle were having a party and made Harry stay in his room and make no noise and pretend he didn’t exist. Except _we’re_ fighting demons on a rescue mission, which isn’t exactly a party. I guess you could _probably_ consider Voldemort a demon, but _technically_ -“ 

Maia and Alec cut him off with stern looks as if to say, “now is not the time.”

Alec looked at both Simon and Maia, realizing how much these two were risking. Then again, Magnus had seemed to take both of them under his wing, like he did with all Downworlders who couldn’t seem to find their way. Magnus considered these Downworlders like his children, and treated them as such. Whether it was giving them a place to sleep, guiding them through their transition from the mundane world to the Downworld, or just loving them, Magnus was always there. Alec’s throat began to close up when he thought of the possibility of Magnus as the father of his children. With Magnus’ life, and Alec’s own life at stake, he couldn’t afford to have such hopeful, unattainable thoughts.

**_I can’t help but want you, I know that I would die without you._ **

“Let’s move,” Alec said, and they all sprang into action. 

Bow at the ready, Alec shuffled towards the stairs and began his ascent with Simon behind him, fangs bared. Maia leapt with determination down a candlelit hallway, the sound of her paws hitting the floor becoming distant. 

Alec and Simon climbed the stairs silently, the only sounds were the screeches and howls coming from outside the castle, and Alec’s nervous breath.

“What happens if we get him? Magnus, I mean.” Simon asked hesitantly. “How will we even get out of here? This is Asmodeus’ realm, he controls _everything_.”

Alec faltered. “I-I don’t know...I just-“ he couldn’t find the words as he tried to assure Simon he could get them out of this alive. Truth was, he had acted impulsively, traveling to Edom to rescue Magnus. He had given no second thought to what they would do once they saved Magnus, he hadn’t even thought about the possibility that his plan would work thus far. 

Alec’s breathing became labored, and he felt his throat closing up, as he began to panic. There was no outcome where they survived this. This really was a suicide mission. 

“Oh no, I shouldn’t have said that, Alec, just forget I spoke at all,” Simon shook his head, his eyes widening as he realized that Alec was beginning to question the entire mission, doubting every step they had taken and all the steps they were about to take.

“No, Simon, you’re right, I don’t-“ Alec’s brain was running a mile a minute and his mouth couldn’t catch up. They had come to a complete stop halfway up the stairs and Alec, dizzy with anxiety had begun to wish there was a rail to steady himself.

“No, Alec, I’m not!” Simon assured, grabbing Alec’s shoulders, startling Alec, since he had thought Simon was too afraid of him to touch him. “We’ll figure it out! We have the Head of the New York Institute, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and two Shadowhunters with the blood of Ithuriel on our side! We can do this!” His voice was more hopeful than it should have been, considering their situation, but it did help to calm Alec down. Simon was right. Although Magnus may not have his powers, he still had centuries of knowledge of dark magic and benevolent magic alike. They had Clary and Jace, who could no things no other Shadowhunter could ever dream of doing, things that could help them escape Edom and evade the wrath of Asmodeus. Alec also had to hand it to himself. He was a leader, and he would stop at nothing to get them out alive.

Alec nodded, closing his eyes and shaking his head, as if to physically rid himself of the paranoid thoughts. “Let’s keep going,” Alec muttered, not wanting to address his mild breakdown with Simon Lewis.

They kept their eyes and ears open for anything unusual, freezing at every creak and moan of the walls and floors. Alec wondered how lonely it must have been to live here. Despite the armies of servants and demons, a life like this did not seem like one worth living, even for a Prince of Hell.

Once they reached the top of the staircase they surveyed the second floor, observing a long hallway, forked with numerous adjacent hallways. At the end of the corridor stood an arched doorway, tall and intimidating, lined with coal that gave off sparks. Alec didn’t doubt that they would burn at the touch, even perhaps melt his skin. 

“That’s the throne room,” Alec whispered, knowing it in his heart. That’s where Magnus was. Alec couldn’t fathom being this close to Magnus after being so far away from him. They had been literal realms apart, and now...Alec could _feel_ Magnus’ presence, like it was this physical, tangible thing. And in a way it was. Magnus truly was something else. Everything about him was so...so ethereal. The way he walked and talked and everything down to the way he slept was so absolutely surreal that it was sometimes hard for Alec to believe that he was real. He often thought of Magnus as as the ghost of a real man, too perfect, too exquisite to be something that existed in such a mundane world.

“You’ll go first,” Alec instructed, “you’ll need to stay out of sight until I’m in the throne room. Clear each of these hallways, then meet Maia back downstairs. Secure the premises. I’ll get Magnus out of there as quickly as I can, and then we have to move. Tell Maia and the others to be ready.”

Simon nodded and glanced nervously towards the throne room. “Good luck in there, man. You and Magnus deserve your happy ending.”

Alec’s eyes watered and he blinked the tears away. False hope was his greatest enemy. “Thanks, Lewis.”

Simon gave him one last nod and then disappeared silently, leaving Alec to finish his mission. This was it. He was left to face Asmodeus on his own. He wished it didn’t have to be this way. Alec wished he could walk into the throne room with his brother and sister on either side of him, with his friends standing behind him. The loneliness of confronting Asmodeus singlehandedly was daunting and suffocating and horrifying. But then he thought of Magnus, how he was challenging his father alone at this very moment, and Alec stood up straight, drawing his bow, determination flooding his veins.

Alec watched his cross-hairs as he walked quickly, expecting something to jump out at him, a demon or a trap of some sort. Anything to keep him from entering the throne room. 

And yet...nothing happened.

Alec had come face to face with the redwood doors, the heat from the burning coals stung his eyes, and he felt sweat drip down the sides of his face. His heart had never beat so fast in his life, aside from the time he had walked down the aisle at his wedding to kiss Magnus in front of the entire Institute. 

Alec took a breath, and opened the doors.

The first thing he noticed was the chandelier. The room was brightly lit by fire, but when he took a closer look, he saw that the chandelier was made of bones. Human bones.

Shivers ran down Alec’s spine as he surveyed the rest of the room, ceilings so high that Alec could barely see where they ended, the floors made of black stone, and bare of any furniture but just one throne. It was at least twenty feet tall, and seemed to be carved from obsidian, and adorned with plush red velvet. It was horrifyingly elegant.

His gaze was drawn to directly in front of the throne, where a body laid motionless, chained to the floor.

 _Magnus_.

**_I can’t help but be wrong in the dark, cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts._ **

Alec dropped his bow and ran, falling to his knees next to his boyfriend. He grabbed Magnus by the shoulder and rolled him over, crying out when he saw Magnus’ face.

Half of Magnus’ face was covered in burn marks, blood running down his cheek from his temple. The other side of his face held deep bloody gashes made by claws, as well as a swollen black eye.

“ _Magnus_ ,” Alec sobbed, his shaky hands cradling Magnus’ face, running through his hair, his thumb ghosting over Magnus’ injuries gently. “What has he done to you?”

Magnus’ eyes began to crack open, but he didn’t move, probably too weak to even try.

“Magnus, baby,” Alec whispered, pulling Magnus to him, holding him up, as if to shield him from any danger. Alec only wished he had been faster. “It’s okay, you’re okay, I love you, I’m here, I love you.” Alec was just rambling now, unable to believe he was here, and that Magnus was here and that everything was okay. Alec could die like this, he thought. If his life were to end at this very moment, it would be a lovely demise. He had Magnus by his side, and that was all he could ever ask for.

Magnus’ mouth turned up hazily. “Heaven is better than I thought,” he rasped, weakly reaching to touch Alec’s face. His lips were so chapped that they cracked when he spoke, blood rising to the surface. “You seem so real. So much like my Alexander.”

“ _Magnus_ ,” Alec choked, realizing Magnus thought that he had died. He grabbed Magnus’ trembling hand and brought it to his own face, lacing their fingers together. “You’re alive, I’m alive, everything’s okay, love.”

Magnus began to frown. “No,” he shook his head and tried to sit up, but hissed in pain, likely from injuries masked by his clothing. Alec did not want to know. 

Alec lowered his forehead to press against Magnus’, savoring the touch of Magnus’ skin against his own. “We have to get out of here, we have to go, baby,” Alec whispered against his boyfriend’s lips, running his hands over Magnus’ face, his shoulders, his chest, marveling him, after believing he would never have the chance again. 

“This-you’re real?” Magnus gaped, dread overtaking his features.

Alec pulled back slightly, shaking his head. “Magnus, what’s wrong?” He asked, sensing Magnus’ fear, reading the terror playing across his face.

“Alexander,” Magnus gasped, grasping Alec’s gear jacket desperately. “You can’t be here-it’s what he _wants_. My father,” Magnus coughed, his entire body shaking, “he feeds on fear. You have to go, _now_!” 

“What do you mean? I’m not leaving you here, Magnus, look what he’s done to you!” Alec gaped.

Magnus’ eyes glossed over with tears and his fingers turned white from his harsh grip on Alec’s shoulder. “Alexander, darling, _please_. This was his plan the _whole_ time!”

“Magnus, what are you-“

Suddenly, the hair on the back of Alec’s neck stood up, chills ripping down his spine. Terror seemed to seep into his skin, resonating deep into his bones. His whole body felt like it was on fire and freezing all at once, that the whole world was ending and all that was left was pain and blood and suffering. It was as if someone was manipulating his emotions and his senses, twisting them violently, wickedly, _ungodly_. Alec gasped, his eyes squeezed shut, and yet visions of blood red cat’s eyes flashed behind his lids. A booming voice sliced through the room. 

“ _Alexander Lightwood_ , what a _pleasure_ it is to finally meet you.” 

**_I can’t help but want oceans to part, cause I’m overcome in this war of hearts._ **

**Want to know what happens next? Tune into Shadowhunters Season 3B on Freeform, Monday, February 25th at 7PM central to find out!**

**Author's Note:**

> UR MAD! I KNOW! AND I RESPECT THAT! BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE! WATCH THE FUCKIN FINAL SEASON!  
> come scream at me on social media <333  
> tumblr: lightwoody  
> twitter: angelicruned


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